The Simple Outline for Appeals That Raise Money

We see a LOT of appeals around here and I read them all. And we spend a lot of time with the results because we want our coaching to be based on what works, not on what we like.

About a week ago I noticed the appeals that did not work well tended to follow the same general outline. It goes something like this:

Thank you for helping in the past

Let me tell you a story about someone we already helped

Please help us continue this good work

I think this is fascinating because every step of that outline makes sense:

Of course you should thank your donors for their previous giving. That’s just being polite, and it reminds them that they’ve given before.

Of course you should tell them a story about a person (or thing) that’s already been helped. That shows the donor that their past gifts made a difference, that the donor can trust you, and that your organization is effective.

And of course you should ask them to help you continue the good work. You need their donations, and the work is good.

But here’s the thing; even though every step in that outline makes sense, appeal letters and e-appeals that follow this outline don’t raise as much money as they could. We know this from years of experimenting and testing. This is one of those places in fundraising where common sense isn’t the best sense. What you need is data.

So what’s the alternative? Here’s the outline that works best for our clients:

There’s a problem right now

You are needed to solve it

Here’s how your gift will solve it

When our clients adopt this outline, their appeals and e-appeals immediately start to raise more money.

The next time you are appealing for funds, follow this model. You’ll raise more money. And your donors will love knowing that they helped solve a real, urgent problem.

I mean that. If you honor and respect your donors by sharing real problems that your beneficiaries and your organization are facing, Donors will love helping you. Be vulnerable with your donors, and they will reward you with their generosity!

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Instant Appeals & Reports

Want us to create your appeals and newsletters for you? Want your staff to be able to work on other things while a team of professionals - who write and design these things all day every day — makes your appeals and newsletters work better than you thought possible? Here's what we'll take off your plate:

We’ll run a Kickoff meeting for each appeal and newsletter

We’ll write a Creative Brief defining exactly what will be said and how it will be said

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We’ll request the mailing list and calculate the gift ask amounts

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You’ll have offloaded 90% of the work – and your fundraising will raise more money!

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